Stewardship Excellence Awards: Ten-4-Ten

The Cultural Landscape Foundation Honors Ten Individuals Making a Difference on the Foundation’s Tenth Anniversary.

In 2008, on the tenth anniversary of our founding, TCLF would like to recognize others who share our vision of "stewardship through education." Throughout the year, under the celebratory umbrella of TEN 4 TEN, TCLF will bestow Stewardship Excellence Awards on ten individuals across the nation and, as such, will place a spotlight on those stewardship stories that have the power to educate and inspire future generations of cultural landscape stewards.

January 29, 2009 | Louisville, KY

Charles "Mac" McClure,

forester, conservationist, and humanitarian, is being honored for his long-standing commitment to, and his much behind-the-scenes work toward, the stability and public enjoyment of our shared landscape heritage. Mr. McClure served as the Executive Director of Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest as well as Assistant Metro Parks Director in Louisville. In his life’s work, he has educated many about the unique and irreplaceable natural, scenic and cultural values of the region.



October 30 | New York, NY

Gregory Long

has been selected to receive this award in honor of his astonishing leadership in the restoration, rehabilitation, and interpretation of the New York Botanical Garden’s cultural landscape. These remarkable achievements, enabled by an endowment that has grown by $250 million and a general operating budget that has grown nearly 300%, have led to comprehensive planning that embodies a shared value system for the botanical, natural, ecological, scenic, and cultural values of the garden. In particular, the development of a cultural landscape report, restoration of historically significant gardens, the rehabilitation of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the new library and herbarium (including the digitization of all of its plant specimens), has allowed the 19th century institution to realize its full potential in the 21st century.



October 25 | Washington, D.C.

Dr. Charles Beveridge

has been selected to receive this award in honor of his astonishing career as the leading authority on the life and landscape legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted. As an author of numerous books, book chapters, and articles; consultant to over forty Olmsted-designed parks (Atlanta, Boston, Louisville, Montreal, Rochester, Trenton); advocate (Massachusetts Association for Olmsted Parks, NAOP); mentor to dozens of historians, designers, preservation professionals, and the general public; and spokesperson – from documentaries to over one hundred lectures on Olmsted and his firm – he has not only elevated our awareness and appreciation for Olmsted, but in the process has helped define the role of the landscape historian in both the field of research and professional practice for historic preservation and design projects. In particular, the seven volumes and supplementary volume of The Papers of Frederick Law Olmsted, published over a thirty-year-period, and Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing the American Landscape (Rizzoli 1995, 1998) are the cornerstone publications for both scholars and the general public who have an interest in the art of the Olmsted landscape.



Roger G. Kennedy

has been selected to receive this award in honor of his unparalleled and varied career, which has given an unparalleled influence over how the history of America has been told – and from TCLF’s perspective this has been one that has embraced our nation’s legacy of cultural landscapes. This award recognizes his collective public service as Director of the National Park Service and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History as well as his myriad appointments serving presidents from Eisenhower through Clinton in the Departments of Health, Education and Welfare; Justice; Labor; and the Interior. In the private sector, Mr. Kennedy has been a leader for his work as Vice President, Finance and Vice President, Arts of the Ford Foundation and in his capacity of financial adviser to a diversity of international banks, major universities, and foundations. Finally, he is being honored for his prolific authorship including television programming and publications such as Greek Revival America; Architecture, Men, Women, and Money; Rediscovering America; and The Smithsonian Guide to Historic America all of which aim to advance the study of our country’s diverse heritage and, in turn, highlight its significant combined cultural landscape.



October 2 | Philadelphia, PA

Laurie D. Olin

received this award in recognition of his distinguished career as an educator, author, and one of the most renowned landscape architects practicing today. Mr. Olin is currently practice professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, where he has taught for thirty years, and is former chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and recipient of the 1998 Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Gold Medal from the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2005. His distinguished projects include New York City’s Bryant Park and Columbus Circle; the American Academy in Rome, Italy; and Hermann Park in Houston, Texas—all historically significant landscapes where Mr. Olin’s work has placed a value on the past to inform the future. In addition to his built work, his writings and publications also reflect an understanding of change and continuity in the cultural landscape includingLa Foce: A Garden and Landscape in Tuscany,  Vizcaya: An American Villa and Its Makers, and  Across the Open Field: Essays Drawn from English Landscape.



Note: Laurie D. Olin, FASLA, FAAR, was the sixth recipient to receive TCLF’s Ten-4Ten Stewardship Award during the annual meeting of the American Society of Landscape Architects in Philadelphia. The surprise presentation of the award was made by TCLF president Charles Birnbaum at a special dinner in the presence of all the Olin Studio principals (Lucinda Sanders, Robert Bedell, Dennis McGlade, David Rubin, Susan Weiler) and over twenty TCLF board members. Mr. Olin has been a great friend to TCLF, having served on the Board for eight years. Olin Studio Principal Dennis McGlade, FASLA, now succeeds Mr. Olin on the Board.



June 12 | Chicago, IL

Julia S. Bachrach

has been selected to receive this award in honor of her years at the Chicago Park District, from maintaining the archives to advocacy for park preservation and securing National Register and National Historic Landmark status for many worthy parks. The award is also given in honor of her contributions to landscape architectural history through her books and articles, exhibitions, lectures, interviews, and tours all of which demonstrate her continuing dedication to educating Chicagoans about their shared landscape heritage. See also Stewardship Story: Julia Bachrach



Cindy Mitchell

has been selected to receive this award in honor of her dedication to the parks and preservation of the cultural landscapes of Chicago. This includes her significant involvement in park issues, from her work as a co-founder of Friends of the Parks through the Mayor’s Landscape Advisory Council and now as Commissioner to the Chicago Park District in addition to her work at the Chicago Cultural Foundation, the Chicago Community Trust, and the Women’s Board of the Art Institute.   



May 29 | Pittsburgh, PA

Lindsay Bond Totten

has been selected to receive this award in honor of her dedication to the advancement of the preservation and restoration of Pittsburgh’s cultural landscapes over the past three decades. Most recently, her leadership efforts as President of the Horticultural Society of Western Pennsylvania are culminating in the establishment of the Botanic Garden of Western Pennsylvania. This tremendous undertaking will strengthen the region’s horticultural resources and guarantee the public greater access to educational opportunities surrounding Western Pennsylvania’s landscapes.  In addition to her work with the Botanic Garden of Western Pennsylvania, Ms. Totten is a Registered Horticultural Therapist and serves on advisory boards at Robert Morris University and the Community College of Allegheny County. See also Stewardship Story: Lindsay Bond Totten



March 27 | Charleston, SC

Honorable Joseph P. Riley

For more than thirty years, Mayor Riley has worked to preserve the rich cultural heritage of Charleston- beginning with stabilizing the central business district, re-connecting to the waterfront landscape, and, more recently, working to achieve a balance between urban and rural lands. His efforts towards educating city staff, the public, the Mayor’s Institute, and many others and challenging them to find creative ways to retain cultural landscapes of Charleston and beyond are recognized with this award.



Patti McGee

multiple contributions in the fields of landscape and garden history in Charleston and the South, specifically her dedicated work as a board member of such organizations as the Garden Conservancy, Southern Garden History Society, and the Charleston Horticultural Society, raised the level of awareness and set a high standard for practice in the region. In particular, her efforts at her own home grounds showed her commitment to a solid research foundation (in this case, including landscape archaeology) to insure that defensible design and management decisions could be made, thus safeguarding authentic landscape features. During a time when historic gardens meant boxwoods and azaleas to many, her work at her own home grounds; contributions to local, regional, and national organizations; and, most recently, with the Elizabeth Lawrence garden in Charlotte are an inspiration to friends and colleagues locally and nationally.